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tv   [untitled]    January 30, 2013 2:30am-3:00am PST

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one thing we do, i want to mention as a program, as a policy that we would like to see,we would like to see language line gets training on domestic violence awareness and maybe cultural competency issues. they provide a huge service to the city. the city is one of their biggest clients. i think there is a lot to be said for the idea that language in and of itself is not a panacea; it is not monolithic. there is a difference between saying a restraining order and saying something else, and how you even talk to the victim of trauma is vital. we would like to see more involvement, rather than assuming that they are the experts which is i think how the police have looked at it in the past. language line is the expert on
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language, and they should teach us. we have a lot to teach interpreters as well about how to effectively communicate with them. one more thing quickly, for emergency protection orders, i am not sure how many people realize this but the judicial council has translated the emergency protection order into five languages. yet getting a copy of that along with the actual english version to the survivor is something that could easily be done by does not happen. i regularly meet with clients who for the first time understand what that emergency protection order means either because the member from the staff is interpreting it or i had given them a copy in their language and they should not have to wait that long to understand what it means, which is why a lot of times they don't even agree because
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they don't know what they're being asked about. i want to say thank you and appreciate your time. >> one thing that was also brought up in the neighborhood meetings with the immigrant communities is that they often want to keep the family unit intact. although the victim won't be deported, she is concerned about the father of the children being deported. that has a chilling effect. that is a consideration that we as a community have to take. >> i will chime in on behalf of the domestic violence community; it has been a high priority for us to change the role of california and other states, operating with secure communities for many reasons;
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one of the major ones is the chilling effect on victims come forward, concern for their own safety or the deportation of the father of the children or their partner. we work with angela chan and the statewide organization against domestic violence; angela did a webinar, a top priority. we will support tom -- introduced on monday to strengthen california's response to this. we are living in san francisco where things are not quite as bad. you can speak to anyone no matter where they are on the continuum of immigration reform about the chilling effect of domestic violence survivors and families, and
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why the federal initiative is dangerous. >> that is not what i was appear for; i wanted to talk about how honored i have been to be here for two years as part of the language workgroup; access to criminal justice, community day services, justice, safety. it is homicide prevention. as we know from many homicides that we work with families, we have done court watches over the years, and the tragedies that we have seen, language access makes a difference. the trust and logistics of those languages being available has been a real honor. i cannot thank chief -- and
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deputy chief -- and deputy chief beal, and the two language officers have been so helpful. language liaison henry hocht came out to a community domestic violence meeting. he came, handed out his phone number, everybody got to meet the liaison an officer chan will help us do that as well. it helps when officers can tell clients that they know the language liaison officer for sfpd and he can help them to get where they need to be in a they have an issue they can bring it to the table. it is tremendous.
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the hour is late. this work could not be done without -- and the team from occ, and the leadership of sfpd to meet with us on almost monthly basis where many of these issues are spelled out every day. it is a pleasure and an honor and a vital goal for all of us. we have to do this. we are doing it. thank you. >> we will call our last item on the agenda, report from the chief, and captain flaherty from the special victims unit, san francisco police department. >> i know that the hour is late. i'm greg suhr, chief of police
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for san francisco. it is important what commissioner marshall spoke to earlier, and echo about the tragedy in kansas city. we are talking about the 22-year-old mother who was killed and leaves a three-month-old baby. that is with these conversations are about. even though we are in a staffing crisis, the mayor and the people who sit on these chairs will address this but we are still down about 300 officers. thank you for your comments and the material beverly upton who keeps moving around back there.
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concerning our most vulnerable. in october we built a space in our most secure floor, behind locked doors, a place for children, and many of the folks behind me contributed to making it nice. everybody has been sitting together, we are altogether all the time anyway. in october, domestic violence, elder abuse, missing persons, juvenile violence, came together under one roof. a putting the human trafficking task force regional effort.
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even though we are in the middle of hiring 1000 officers over the next six years, a critical piece of that and i will read this draft, officers convicted of domestic violence shall not be considered. it will be policy. we have about 5000 applicants so far in the first 10 days. i want the message to be clear that there is no place in the san francisco police department for those folks. that is my shtick. the captaincy work hard to bring you up to speed about the domestic violence unit, now part of svu and what they do in san francisco. we are committed to keep san francisco safe regardless of the place of origin or language
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efforts. the things that we can do easily we will go quickly. the things that will take a little bit of work or money we will figure out. captain? >> thank you chief. i'm sorry. i am the last one up. i have been asked to speak on a few items. i will try to get through it as quickly as possible. bear with me. when i get to the presentation, once i am completed i will be happy to answer any questions you may have for me.
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>> good evening everybody, i am denise flaherty, the captain for the special victims unit. our journey starts in 1995, the formation of the domestic violence response unit going back to the time when the department had separate investigative unit. for years domestic violence, sex crimes, youth crimes all work independently. the investigative bureau was fragmented and never work together closely. through the years we have improved, evolved. under chief surh, in october, 2011, the special unit was
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created. the mythic violence is no longer an individual area of investigation. in order to serve those who are most vulnerable we must not only examine the crime that has occurred but also identify the services and support that we can provide in order to prevent future victimization. we have 40 members that investigate domestic violence, sexual assault, internet crimes against children, human trafficking, elderly abuse. we have 20 very talented investigators who focus on domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. we recognize the benefit of formalized training offered by post, then we have been diligent and assigning individuals for training as it becomes available. formal training of the members is essential so we don't forget the value mentorship and hands-on training.
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we have investigators with fast experience and knowledge. our investigators at svu have over 300 years of experience and are able to investigate high-profile crimes efficiently and effectively. a good example of the recent investigation and conviction of the 24th st. quarter rapist. we have purposefully partnered with the most senior investigations with the new generation of investigators. we have great success with these partnerships passing the knowledge, investigative techniques, and expensive cannot be found in the classroom. another example was a series of cases where suspects preyed on elderly members of the asian
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committee. investigators have done an excellent job. cases such as these are demanding requiring patience and understanding and compassion for the victims. financial crime members are also responsible for elderly abuse both physical and financial. while the majority of the cases are financial in fiscal year 2011-2012, we served 54 cases of elderly care abuse, in most cases the family member was identified as a perpetrator. these were difficult cases to prove due to the close relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, along with mental issues. determination has remained consistent in domestic violence investigation;
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there was a time when law enforcement only focused on investigation. chief suhr recognize importance of having advocacy groups located directly in the special victims unit. family can meet with investigators and have access to services in the system as they move forward. with the efforts of kathy black and -- svu has a children's room available which offers a safe environment for children exposed to family violence. child abuse is one of the toughest crimes for investigators. children are among the most vulnerable victims. thankfully there are those like kathy baxter who are constantly fighting for the prevention of child abuse. i believe partnership with outside agencies have allowed us to find justice during this
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complex investigation. another important component of svu is the -- unit. those members solely on internet crimes against children. the cases are complex and require persistent and dedication to identify and locate perpetrators who possess and distribute child pornography. we are only one of many law enforcement agencies across the region who actively participate in the silicon valley internet crimes against children task force. the investigation resulted in the arrest of four predators
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who possessed hundreds of images. as you can see we have many moving parts under the svu model, and it is important to recognize the specialist team appointed to investigate crimes in human trafficking. human trafficking is a 32 billion dollar industry. after drug trafficking, human trafficking is the second most profitable crime. it has attracted participation by organized criminal gangs. innovation and technology has made it possible for the traffickers to recruit their victims. internet has transformed the landscape of human trafficking. the san francisco police department has adopted a victim centered philosophy which prevents victims from
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being treated like perpetrators. we work closely with advocacy groups such as asian-pacific legal outreach in numerous volunteer specifically trained in helping the victims. partnership with these advocates ensures that the victims have the resources and assistance to rebuild their lives. a -- is a law enforcement tool that allows victims report crimes without fear of deportation. a u visa is a temporary four-year visa. -- has been designated to issue the visa is by reviewing the applicant's background. the final determination is
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made by the united states customs and immigration service. in 2011, we received 318 requests for u visas. this year we expect to review 994 cases. the special victims unit leads the way setting the standard for best practices in law enforcement. tvu has several members that our instructors who travel to california to train other law enforcement agencies. as the commanding officer of svu i stand before you tonight very proud of the caliber of members of the officers assigned to svu. at the same time recognize we are only one piece of the puzzle.under financial
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crimes . the 20 are crosstrained in domestic violence, sexual assault, elderly abuse. it takes commitment and dedication.3 it is not always easy. we have to ourselves forward. sometimes the hardest work has the best reward. >> i know inspector robert --
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an inspector who does financial crimes actually taught me -- i don't know how the investigator -- he is an accountant, you have a number of cherished inspectors, everyone in the community would be sad to lose. and we look forward to continuing to work with you guys on that. (off mic) >> let's not pick sides. >> captain, thank you so much for this report. it is encouraging on so many levels. two things: one, to be clear for folks watching, the u visa, is an
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acronym for what again? >> i believe it refers to a section in the code. it describes the opportunity for an individual to apply for legal status to say in the u.s., if you're the victim of a crime under certain circumstances. >> to be clear about that. so that everyone watching can be fully informed. while certainly, and again, thanks to the leadership of chief suhr, yourself, the lieutenant and others, the integration of these areas units seems to make so much sense. it seems there practical on a
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number of levels and certainly there are similarities and various types of
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>> what you to do atribute the tripling of the u visa application? >> maybe the trust was not
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there. sensitive the word spread that this process could be trusted. the advocacy groups helped. the district attorney. many people that considered to this, it was just a matter of time for people to trust the process and you will see the numbers grow if we are doing it right. it should continue to grow. >> of those applications, how long does it take for a decision to be made by the custom and immigration service and the percentages of approval . >> takes about six months; i cannot speak about percentages and of the 994 we have denied
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20 of them based on background. please understand that the san francisco police department is not the only entity approving u visas. there are law-enforcement across the region, the state is doing it, we are just want law-enforcement agency doing it. >> even the demand for u visas, there are certain caps. 3 also -- >> i feel like seeing this unit exist, if i would use the word "leveraging" people's
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expertise, it seems appropriate place for these presentations. it reflects what we are most successful at and when we are seeing the greatest success is when we're not in silos, and partnering with nonprofits, and in some cases for profit community. i know that personnel he i have had the opportunity to participate in many of the massage parlor inspections. that to me was another example of our city being incredibly innovative in figuring out a way to confront the challenges that we do face particularly in the area of human trafficking on one side. i think it all fits